Today’s quick review: The Prisoner. Following the murder of the police chief by a convict who was supposed to have been executed, Andy (Tony Cheung), an honest cop, goes undercover as a prisoner to investigate. In prison, he befriends Charlie (Tou Tsung-hua), his timid cellmate, John (Sammo Hung), an affable escape artist, and Steve (Jackie Chan), a man convicted for accidentally killing the brother of Boss Lee (Andy Lau), a dangerous criminal.
The Prisoner is a Hong Kong action movie starring Tony Cheung, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, and Andy Lau. The movie follows a group of prisoners as they attempt to survive the harsh realities of prison life and expose a conspiracy among the prison staff. In spite of a talented cast and an intriguing plot hook, The Prisoner is at best a mixed success. Flawed storytelling and limited action make it a movie with relatively little payoff.
The main failing of The Prisoner is that it doesn’t know what kind of story it wants to tell. The opening is fine: a cop goes undercover at a prison where death row inmates are secretly being released to commit crimes. But once Andy arrives at the prison, the story shifts into a drama with no sign of the original premise. The movie then detours further into the unrelated stories of Steve and John before finally remembering why Andy is there.
All of this means that there is no meaningful structure to hang the action off of. Jackie Chan gets one or two fights against swarms of criminals, but they are far from his best work. The occasional prison riot, knife fight, or escape attempt keeps the movie from getting too stale, but very little of the action actually serves the plot. With a meandering story and modest spectacle, The Prisoner has a hard time keeping the audience’s interest.
The Prisoner is still a passable pick for fans of Hong Kong action movies. The snippets of prison drama are moderately effective, and the cruel fates waiting for some of the prisoners helps separate The Prisoner from movies where the characters are more protected. But ultimately, The Prisoner does not deliver on its promises, making it a weaker choice than other movies in a similar vein.
For a more thrilling story about an undercover cop, try The Departed or Infernal Affairs. For a budget action movie about an undercover cop in prison, try Riot. For a much more satisfying prison drama, try Cool Hand Luke, Papillon, or The Shawshank Redemption. For an action comedy that makes better use of Jackie Chan, try Who Am I?, Project A, Police Story, or Rumble in the Bronx.
[5.8 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099812/). I give it a 5.5 for an unfocused plot and poor use of its cast’s talents.